SCORPIONIDAE
Latreille, 1802

This family consists of 6 genera and 119 species (2 genera and 2 species are extinct) [Updated 07.05.03], and have representatives in Africa, Asia and Australia. Some of the world's largest scorpions belong to this family, and because of this members of this family are very common in the pet industry (e.g. Pandinus imperator and Heterometrus spp.). The largest species known thus far are Heterometrus swammerdami from India and Sri Lanka and Pandinus imperator, which can reach lengths between 15 and 20 cm and up to 32 g mass.

The members of this family have a pentagonal sternum and very powerful, broad pedipalps (especially the hands [chelae] of the pedipalps). The scorpionids occupy savannahs, humid forests and rainforests, but some (like Scorpio) are found in somewhat drier habitats.

Most species in this family are considered to be relatively harmless, but a serious case has been reported for Heterometrus.

The subfamilies Hemiscorpiinae (genera Habibiella and Hemiscorpius) and Urodacinae (genus Urodacus) have recently (Prendini 2000) been elevated to family status (see family files for more information).

Synonyms and subspecies in the genus Opistophthalmus was revised by Lorenzo Prendini in 2001 (Prendini, L. A review of synonyms and subspecies in the genus Opistophthalmus C. L. Koch (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae). African Entomology, 9 (1), pp. 17-48)

Scorpio maurus photo (left) by Jeff Dawson (C).
Pandinus imperator
photo (right) by Jan Ove Rein (C).

SPECIES FILES:
This list of genera and species is based on Fet et al.(2000). Subspecies is not included in the list. I try to update the list as additions and changes are published. * denotes changes after Fet et al. (2000). I will be grateful for information about new development in the taxonomy of this family. For information about synonyms and bibliographies, see Fet et al. (2000)

Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828
H. barberi (Pocock, 1900)
H. bengalensis (C. L. Koch, 1841)
H. collinus Pocock, 1900
H. cyaneus (C. L. Koch, 1836)
H. fastigiosus Couzijn, 1981
H. flavimanus (Pocock, 1900)
H. fulvipes (C. L. Koch, 1837)
H. granulomanus Couzijn, 1981
H. gravimanus (Pocock, 1894)
H. indus (DeGeer, 1778)
H. kanarensis (Pocock, 1900)
H. keralaensis Tikader & Bastawade, 1983
H. laoticus Couzijn, 1981
H. latimanus (Pocock, 1894)
H. liophysa (Thorell, 1888)
H. liurus (Pocock, 1897)
H. longimanus (Herbst 1800)
H. madoerensis Kopstein, 1921
H. madraspatensis (Pocock, 1900)
H. malapuramensis Tikader & Bastawade, 1983
H. pelekomanus Couzijn, 1981
H. petersii (Thorell, 1876)
H. phipsoni (Pocock, 1893)
H. scaber (Thorell, 1876)
H. serratus (Pocock, 1900)
H. spinifer (Ehrenberg, 1828)
H. swammerdami Simon, 1872
H. titanicus (Couzijn, 1981)*
H. tristis (Henderson, 1919)
H. wroughtoni (Pocock, 1899)
H. xanthopus (Pocock, 1897)
Opistophthalmus C. L. Koch, 1837
O. adustus Kraepelin, 1908
O. ammopus Lamoral, 1980
O. ater Purcell, 1898
O. austerus Karsch, 1879
O. boehmi (Kraepelin, 1896)
O. brevicauda Lawrence, 1928
O. capensis (Herbst, 1800)
O. carinatus (Peters, 1861)
O. cavimanus Lawrence, 1928
O. chaperi Simon, 1880
O. chrysites Lawrence, 1967
O. coetzeei Lamoral, 1979
O. concinnus Newlands, 1972
O. crassimanus Purcell, 1899
O. ecristatus Pocock, 1899
O. fitzsimonsi Hewitt, 1935
O. flavescens Purcell, 1898
O. fossor Purcell, 1898
O. fuscipes Purcell, 1899*
O. gibbericauda Lamoral, 1979
O. gigas Purcell, 1898
O. glabrifrons Peters, 1861
O. granicauda Purcell, 1898
O. granifrons Pocock, 1896
O. haackei Lawrence, 1966
O. holmi (Lawrence, 1969)
O. intercedens Kraepelin, 1908
O. intermedius Kraepelin, 1894
O. jenseni (Lamoral, 1972)
O. karrooensis Purcell, 1898
O. keilandsi Hewitt, 1914*
O. lamorali Prendini, 2000*
O. laticauda Purcell, 1898
O. latimanus C. L. Koch, 1841
O. latro Thorell, 1894*
O. lawrencei Newlands, 1969*
O. leipoldti Purcell, 1898*
O. litoralis Lawrence, 1955
O. longicauda Purcell, 1899
O. lornae Lamoral, 1979
O. luciranus Lawrence, 1959*
O. lundensis Monrad, 1937
O. macer Thorell, 1876
O. nitidiceps Pocock, 1896
O. opinatus (Simon, 1888)
O. pallipes C. L. Koch, 1842
O. pattisoni Purcell, 1899
O. penrithorum Lamoral, 1979
O. peringueyi Purcell, 1898
O. pictus Kraepelin, 1894
O. pluridens Hewitt, 1918*
O. praedo Thorell, 1876*
O. pugnax Thorell, 1876*
O. pygmaeus Lamoral, 1979
O. scabrifrons Hewitt, 1913*
O. schlechteri Purcell, 1898
O. schultzei Kraepelin, 1908
O. setifrons Lawrence, 1961
O. ugabensis Hewitt, 1934
O. wahlbergii Thorell, 1876
O. werneri Lamoral & Reynders, 1975
Pandinus Thorell, 1876
P. arabicus (Kraepelin, 1894)
P. bellicosus (L. Koch, 1875)
P. boschisi Caporiacco, 1937
P. cavimanus (Pocock, 1888)
P. citernii Borelli, 1919
P. colei (Pocock, 1896)
P. dictator (Pocock, 1888)
P. exitialis (Pocock, 1888)
P. gambiensis Pocock, 1899
P. gregoryi (Pocock, 1896)
P. hawkeri Pocock, 1900
P. imperator (C. L. Koch, 1841)
P. intermedius Borelli, 1919
P. magretti Borelli, 1901
P. meidensis Karsch, 1879
P. militaris Pocock, 1900
P. pallidus (Kraepelin, 1894)
P. peeli Pocock, 1900
P. percivali Pocock, 1902
P. phillipsii (Pocock, 1896)
P. platycheles Werner, 1916
P. pococki Kovarik, 2000*
P. smithi (Pocock, 1899)
P. viatoris (Pocock, 1890)
Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758
S. maurus Linnaeus, 1758

Jan Ove Rein (C) 2003